Today Shacknews is reporting a new beta patch available on Steam. This is what they had to say, "Covering its back and yours, Bethesda recommends that you only install the patch if you're affected by issues fixed in the patch, and that you backed up your saved games before installing the beta. If you're still ploughing ahead with it, here's what to do:

Steam will now restart. After Steam restarts, Skyrim will be updated to the Beta version currently available.

The beta patch adds an option for Skyrim's Steam Workshop, a portal which will allow mod makers to upload their creations directly to Steam, but the Workshop won't work it and the mod Creation Kit actually launch later this month."

If you've already played The Witcher 2, wait some more for Skyrim to get patched up and brought up to standard by mods.

If you haven't played The Witcher 2... well, why haven't you? ...Or just bite the bullet and get Skyrim to see what all the fuss is about - it's pretty addictive despite it's shortcomings.

Frankly, I ran into one of Skyrim's bugged quest and I've shelved it until the appropriate patch. On the plus side that made me finally start Dark Messiah. Damn, it might also be a flawed game, but the combat in it is so much more responsive, fun, and blade-work looks way cooler.

I was waiting for a fix for a problem with transformations from werewolf back to human,that problem made me lose 3 hours of gameplay and was impossible for me to transform from werewolf to human again.

If you've already played The Witcher 2, wait some more for Skyrim to get patched up and brought up to standard by mods.

If you haven't played The Witcher 2... well, why haven't you? ...Or just bite the bullet and get Skyrim to see what all the fuss is about - it's pretty addictive despite it's shortcomings.

Frankly, I ran into one of Skyrim's bugged quest and I've shelved it until the appropriate patch. On the plus side that made me finally start Dark Messiah. Damn, it might also be a flawed game, but the combat in it is so much more responsive, fun, and blade-work looks way cooler.

Witcher 2 is a TOTALY different game, just having the same theme as Witcher 1. It looks very consolized for obvious reasons and is much more "arcade" and fun. It feels less like an RPG and its easier to play "properly" for those who are not RPG experts, has a more concentrated story with few different paths for more replayability, definately worth to play it.

In terms of the Skyrim game, I hope the memory optimisations etc involve the use of modern CPU features such as SSE etc, as mods like Skyboost using this stuff made the game run really better on all systems.

I'm probably gona go through the whole game again when this patch is official, since I havent really "finished" it with any second character.

If you've already played The Witcher 2, wait some more for Skyrim to get patched up and brought up to standard by mods.

If you haven't played The Witcher 2... well, why haven't you? ...Or just bite the bullet and get Skyrim to see what all the fuss is about - it's pretty addictive despite it's shortcomings.

Frankly, I ran into one of Skyrim's bugged quest and I've shelved it until the appropriate patch. On the plus side that made me finally start Dark Messiah. Damn, it might also be a flawed game, but the combat in it is so much more responsive, fun, and blade-work looks way cooler.

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Well trust me there is more than one bugged quest even after the patch 1.4 beta patch.

OOh Dark Messiah i loved that game but they did not support that game at all.. If i remember right check in to computy patches for it as i think it got support that way like Vampire masquerade did.

This one will be my only fantasy game in my lifetime... Exploring the map started to get repetitive back in early december. The idea is nice, big world, etc. Story, creatures, core ideas ... suck. Just like most things in the world, an arrow in the ass, of course

Witcher 2 is a TOTALY different game, just having the same theme as Witcher 1. It looks very consolized for obvious reasons and is much more "arcade" and fun. It feels less like an RPG and its easier to play "properly" for those who are not RPG experts, has a more concentrated story with few different paths for more replayability, definately worth to play it.

I installed this beta patch for the game and I have to say I am very impressed with the results. Using the same mods as before the patch I now get a minimum for 43 fps at the top of the stairs leading to Dragonsreach overlooking Whiterun, as opposed to 35 minimum I got before and that was with SkyBoost. My maximum fps seems to be constantly pegged at 60 now as well, as opposed to some dips in the lower/mid 50s. Overall I am very impressed with the patch, just wish it had come out before I spent 80 hours on the game.

I'd say that The Witcher 2 was less "dumbed down" then Mass Effect 2. And in the case of both of those games, they are quite the improvement over their predecessors. The only gripes I have with TW2 is the inventory and the length of Chapter 3. Everything else is damn awesome and I'll be replaying it again in Dark Mode at some point this year.

OK... If we put aside the bugged quests, the muddy default graphics, the atrocious UI, the wonky AI pathing, the feeling that your character has close to zero effect on the world... my main gripe with the game is the combat system. Spells are OK, archery is passable, but close combat is mediocre at best and only if you go with sword and shield. It's unresponsive and feels floaty... Also, you can't marry J'zargo.

Then again, I'm a VS game fan and an ex game journalist, so sue me. Skyrim manages to be fun despite all annoyances and will surely get modded to a degree that even I won't complain much.